Heat removal is a prominent factor in computer system and data center design. The number of information technology (IT) components such as servers deployed within a data center has steadily increased as the server performance has improved, thereby increasing the amount of heat generated during the ordinary operation of the servers. The reliability of servers used within a data center decreases if the environment in which they operate is permitted to increase in temperature over time. A significant portion of the data center's power is used for thermal management of electronics at the server level.
Recent trends in computing show a trend toward higher power density. As the number of servers within a data center increases, a greater portion of the power is commensurately consumed by the data center to remove heat from electronic components within the servers. Liquid heat removal offers a solution for higher power computing racks due to the relatively higher hear capacity and greater energy efficiency possible with liquid heat removal. Liquid heat removal solutions are generally more difficult to assemble, test, and operate due to the increased complexity and cost. The operations are often particularly challenging due to the necessity to bring liquid into field replaceable modules. An operator typically has to manually connect, disconnect, and organize the arrays of fittings and tubing.
The complexity of liquid fitting operations has driven manufacturers to create various types of blind mate connectors. These connectors have the ability to engage and disengage simultaneously with the module insertion and removal. Typically, such connectors usually include a self-sealing feature. The self-sealing feature prevents liquid from leaking out of the connector set once it is decoupled. This prevents liquid from leaking out of the liquid thermal management system. A liquid leak could negatively impact computing facility operation. It could also negatively impact liquid thermal management operation if there is no sufficient liquid to operate the system. The requirement of blind mate connectors, however, dictates complex fitting designs in order to accommodate the tolerance typical of electronic racks constructed largely of folded sheet metal. The design constraint of existing technology assumes fixed location of both a host and client fitting outer body and therefore all tolerance gathering ability is therefore designed within the connector body.